Blackfeather Woods if I had a voice, I would sing

the gorge spread out beneath her, the ravine a harsh, jagged scar in the face of the earth. it was further across than she could leap, and below, she could see cave mouths disappearing into black. she wasn't much for the caves. she'd rush through them when pressured by Scylla, willing to trade discomfort for not looking yellow but avoided the dark divots when she could. something seemed to spill from them, something unseen but otherworldly. 

her eyes met another pair. they were in the ravine - more precisely, in one of the caves that dotted its side. unreachable. she held her breath and the stare, pale and listless. she would have missed it entirely, had the eyes not been focused on her. a thrill sparked down her spine, and something dark fell from the cave. a flash of a wing, and then it was gone - she didn't follow the movement, for the eyes remained motionless. if she moved, she knew, the electric moment would snap like an elastic stretched too far.

After actually seeing others small and new like him, he'd become interested. Enough so to seek any of them today. He was in luck. Ahead, the girl was staring down. He stopped, watching her watching whatever was down the hole.

The fledgling was about to jump scare her, not really knowing what would happen, when some devil creature flew out. It wasn't a creature like his birds at all. A skeletal one that made him bark in alarm and cower, watching it flutter away as innocent as a butterfly. Not that you'd likely see one within the woods.

When he'd recovered from his momentary panic, he realised the girl was still stoic. Staring. He felt a shiver run down his spine, his hackles raised. What was wrong with her?
"Whatcha doing?" His brows furrowed in concern for the girl. 
He kept his distance of perhaps a few feet. He knew from Tundra that if you were uncertain, keep distance.

she listened for the thus it would make when it hit the bottom, but instead came the familiar voice of one of the other pups. whirling to face him, she spat, "nothing!" blinking, she spun the other way just as fast - but the eyes were gone, and the cave seemed part of the unmoving canyon wall once more. 

turning back to face him, completely unwilling to share what she'd seen (she was strangely possessive over the eyes - they were her secret, now) she fired back, "whatr' you doing?" he didn't seem keen on approaching, which simultaneously pleased and irritated her.

Her sharp denial of ding anything when she clearly was made him suspicious. What was she doing? It was obviously something. His eyes narrowed and he crept closer, belly low and tail high with intent to pounce and get the truth. His eyes glanced to the chasm.
He could almost hear the voice of his Mother telling him it was dangerous.
He stopped prowling, staring at the younger member of Blackfeather.

He kept low in his defensive way, "Don't lie tuh me!" He pouted, demanding the truth. Why would he be lied to? He knew how to bargain, a secret for a secret. 
Rowan sat up, still watching the girl.
Then he remembered she'd asked a question and it was rude not to answer.
"I was looking for you because you look interesting." Looks like he'd hit the jackpot. There was something she could see that he couldn't.
"Tell me and I'll tell you my secret." He wondered if she'd like his secret of the birds.

the boy's eyes narrowed, and he began a stalking crawl towards her, in the same way mother would go after prey. irritation flashed, and she issued a firm, "don't." for added measure, and to ensure he took her seriously, she continued, "I'll bite your face." 

her irritation did not falter until he got to the bit about bargaining. she could not bear the thought of another having secrets, especially another pup. she was, however, also utterly resistant to telling him about the eyes. her eyes, for she was the only one who'd seen them. she hesitated a long moment, and then, "fine. I saw a rat eating a crow. and then it dropped the crow and it fell all the way down and I wanted to know how down it would go." a half-truth, then. the first of many.

His head tilted slightly, showing just a glint of his teeth to say I bite too.
He wasn't about to be outcompeted by some lesser being. His Mother was a warrior, he didn't even know where this girl came from. For all he knew, she had wandered in -- if it weren't for the scent on her that Tundra had pointed out.

He almost winced at what she described. One of his friends was eaten by some common rodent. He should ask Maegi on what to do, he'd seen her do things with dead animals that weren't eating.
"Strange."
But a bargain was a bargain, even if she'd lied -- unbeknown to him.
"My secret is I can control the birds." 
It was his own half-truth. He was getting there. He could act a certain way and they would respond how he wanted them to. All he had to do was learn how to make their noises; if such a thing were possible. But he could make them come to him in flocks and follow him and fly to a certain place. 
He wanted them to land on him though, that would be cool.

she blinked, and then laughed, short and clipped. "liar!" she wasn't sure if he was stupid, or deluded, but the fact of the matter was that she didn't believe him one bit. she was not unaware of the fact that the ravens and crows of Blackfeather were not exactly normal, and definitely not like the other birds that seemed to avoid the wood. they were smart, they listened, and sometimes they seemed to try and communicate. 

she was glad she hadn't fulfilled her end of the bargain, as it seemed he certainly had not fulfilled his.

"I ain't no stinky liar!" He yelled, feeling very hurt. The boy would never lie unless he'd been told to out of importance. Like keeping a special secret. He wished he'd not said anything. She was mean.

The boy's ears slicked back, flashing his teeth at the girl. He was throwing a tiny tantrum.
The boy huffed, turning to storm away from the girl. Why would she call him a liar? She lied first! She was the liar. He'd totally get the birds to follow him now. They came to him for food, so surely if he did it enough, they'd follow him.
One thing he'd forgotten -- or perhaps not yet learned -- was to turn your back on someone who had threatened to bite your face.

he denied it! the rational, or perhaps mature, part of her knew he didn't have much choice. but that part was still in development, and so the moment he turned his back on her, she moved. she rushed towards him, seeking to grab his tail in her maw and then pull, so that he'd be forced to come back. she did not consider the implications of instigating a fight on the edge of a ravine.

The boy felt teeth latch onto his tail and he exploded, turning to snap at the girl with an outraged snarl.
How dare she! He'd been training with Tundra and she said he was good. And needed practice. 
So, here was his practice.

The boy swung his body round to rip his tail from the girl and put his own teeth on her, but he had miscalculated how close the edge was. His back leg slipped over the edge and, with a terrified squeak, slipped backward, pulling the girl with him.

They fell and his organs seemed to fly out of his body through his throat, then a sharp thump of pain hit his as they hit a ledge. And he was a cushion to the girl. What kinda deal was that! She was the meanie. He lay dazed for a minute, figuring what happened and realised they'd fallen to a ledge on the ravine wall. Too high for them to climb out. He rolled and stood up on shaking legs, trembling in solid fear of falling or maybe even the rat that ate his bird friend might come back. 
Desperately, he threw his head back and called for help.
He hoped @Moonshadow or @Tundra would come. Heck, even the silver beastie was welcome to save them. 

He looked to the girl with terror. The ledge wasn't very big, only just big enough. He sat down, not wanting to fall off the edge.

he spun around and she backpedaled, and for a brief moment, they squabbled. and then they were falling, she atop of him and landing in a tangled pile of limbs. her breath was forcefully pressed out of her lungs, and something twisted and popped. she yelled - a sound filled with rage and hurt, a sound made almost unintelligible due to the simple fact that her lungs remained empty. 

things remained fogged and blurry, and her vision dimmed a moment. but then she was scrambling to her paws, and Rowan was calling out, and angry tears threatened to blur her vision again. jacked up on more adrenaline than she'd ever experienced in her short life, she yelled out a terrified "shut up!" she didn't move, trembling, still unsure of exactly what had happened but knowing they were in for it if anyone found them here.

He looked at her in confusion. Didn't she want to be saved immediately? 
He thought she was stupid too now. "How hard did you hit your head?" His face screwed up as if he could try to see what her thought process was. 
Damn wrong for sure.

"We need help." He stated flatly. She could attack him again is she wanted but he was bigger and would throw her off the ledge if she tried. No, he was a guardian he promised to protect his Family. That Family was all in Blackfeather. They lived here and he was a Blackfeather, that meant he was born to protect.
It would be wrong to kill the girl, no matter how annoying she was.
That led to his next point.

"Are you hurt?"

she heard him.

the yell hit her hard, the recognizable high pitched voice both so familiar and so different- because before she'd only heard it express itself in curious and excited tones. this was a cry for help, filled with a very real fear. her paws skid to a stop as her pale forms whips itself around and takes off in the correct direction without a moment's hesitation. bertók flies ahead until his shadowy form disappears from view. find them she silently begs for although the call had given her a rough idea as to what direction he was in, she'd still have to search for an exact location which could lose them valuable time if something was really wrong. she would've once been better at keeping her cool, not letting herself fall into a panic being well aware it would only hinder her. like a block of ice she would've simply dealt with what was wrong. but alas her mind was running riot at the moment and so it decided to run with this too, taunting her cruelly so that her jaw clenched and she moved quicker.

bertók returned with an urgent caw and she followed him without question, trusting the bird more than she'd trust most wolves. he didn't disappoint, leading her right to the ravine's edge where the scents of two hung heavily in the air, one definitely rowan's. but where...? oh fuck, of course. her dark eyes rise to her companion as he glides over the edge, looking down..down, down...fuck. 

swallowing, she steps over to the edge- the breeze ruffling her fur and failing to let any noises from below reach her as images played in her head- broken bodies, dead pups...which then brought on the sickening memory of her own because that had become her mind's favourite trick these days. she winces but doesn't let herself hesitate as she glances across the edge and....exhales a sharp breath she hadn't even known she was holding. a ledge, they were alive on a ledge. "shit" she whispers now because, well shit. shaking herself she straightens, eyes sharpening with a display of her normal(?) self as she gets to business. "hey!" she yells down, it was rowan and another not too familiar pup but the scent had her guessing it was cass'. "do not move unless i tell you's to, hear me? are either of you's seriously hurt?" 

whilst waiting for a response she jabs her head in their direction with a look to bertók whom nodded knowingly and flew down to the ledge. he'd try and keep them calm, cawing softer than she'd ever heard, she hadn't even known the stubborn creature had it in him. she also knew should they do anything stupid he'd try get them back in line. she started scanning the area for possible ways to get them out whilst waiting to hear their reply, no point in thinking of a solution if they weren't able for it- she just had to hope neither of them had been too badly injured.

she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to process the dozens of sensations and thoughts attempting to push their way into her head. most of which, however, were conveniantly blocked out by she flash of white-hot pain the came when she attempted to rise to her feet. suddenly dizzy, she sinks back down to a sitting position.

she swallows dryly, attempting desperately to ground herself and only barely succeeding, mostly due to the adrenaline. when she blinks open her eyes again, they're glassed over with angry tears. "we'll get in trouble," she hisses, but it's too late. Tundra's voice drifts down to them, and she bites her tongue. 

she's dizzy again, and her bravado is stretched to its limits. there's a visible bump by her left shoulder, and that forelimb hangs askew, but she can't bring herself to explain it aloud. the bird lands on the ledge, and her gaze falls to rest on him without really seeing him. she is aware, however, that she likes the sounds he makes.

for reference, her left shoulder is dislocated :)

Moonshadow was watching her other pups when she heard Rowan’s call. She rushed over to the ravine and saw Tundra had answered it first. She looked around and saw no sign of her pup; Moonshadow caught the end of what Tundra said and looked down to see her pup and another and she began to panic as she looked to her packmate not knowing what to do about the situation.

The boy swallowed, head tiling in compassion he thought he shouldn't feel, but did. She was clearly hurt, he didn't know enough about anatomy to notice her shoulder was seriously damaged. He just thought it looked funny.
"We won't," he replied with thick sterness. If she were so worried he'd take the blame. Damn her for being so annoying yet so captivating. 

Tundra's voice hit him. Looking up he was so relieved to see her. And Bertók earned a just as grateful chuff. He seemed to make the girl shut up, thank the Gods.
"She's hurt a bit." He called up. Of course, with the adrenaline and needing to be strong to save them both, he'd feel his pain later. Likely heavy bruising on his back and ribs, and a lump he could feel throbbing on his head, but mostly ok. 
His Mother came and he smiled weakly. He'd likely get in some sort of trouble, but that's just character building.

a soft exhale of relief falls free from tense jaws at moonshadow's arrival although it's short lived because what use is the presence of another if they can't get them out? the darker woman simply shoots a look of pure panic in her direction and the decima inhales slowly, trying to fight back dark pessimistic thoughts; 'yay moonshadow's here, so now you's can watch your own woods kill two of its children together...'. she fails. still it's become quite clear that it is her that has to be the strong one here, moonshadow's child was down there so it would be unreasonable to push it on her and since the two on the ledge were children she clearly couldn't demand they find a way. it was on her. she'd been handed responsibility on large levels several times but there was a new difference at play here; any mistake on her part could result in the deaths or horrific injuries of wolves she cared about. now that was new, and not something she found herself liking.

she steadies herself with a low exhale, nodding at moonshadow. dammit she couldn't be flipping out now so with a blink she hoped seemed calm and reassuring in the other woman's direction, she focuses back down on the two as rowan's voice echoed towards them, bouncing through the ravine. she's hurt...her dark gaze shifts to the silent girl, squinting hard as bertók hops closer to her leg, is it hanging weirdly? it definitely seems to be what the bird wanted her to look at and she chewed at her lip, only able to silently beg that it wasn't broken. at least rowan seemed okay and she smiled weakly down at the boy; "good..thanks rowan you're being very brave...do you see her leg? the one bertók- the bird's at, describe it to me does it look strange?" she was no healer but she'd seen and had her own fair share of injuries, it had made her good at recognizing them at least. 

while waiting she starts to inspect the area, calling down absentmindedly; "hey-" she doesn't know her name, fuck sake she had to have been told it before if she could just remember...she can't. casting a helpless look in moonshadow's direction she pushes on anyway "can you hear me? i need you to stay awake no matter what okay?" she didn't know if the girl was frightened or out of it but she couldn't have her passing out, she refrained from asking her about her injury too for fear inspecting it would make it worse, hopefully rowan's description would help without freaking out the girl too much. the wall was uneven in places and frowning carefully she tried making out a sort of trail that led them close enough to at least be grabbed. the footholds were narrow though and there was so many rocks in the way, no way they'd get the whole way up without falling. she clucks her tongue and the raven lifts from the ledge and floats up towards her; "start knocking rocks out of the way and see if you can form some sort of decent trail up..just make sure none hit them" it's muttered lowly as she turns to the packmate at her side. 

"luckily the side of the gorge where they've fallen isn't the steepest, bertók's going to inspect it closer and try and move anything in the way of a potential trail but i wouldn't trust them to be able to climb it themselves....can you try and find a vine of any sort and as long and strong as it can be..maybe they could use that to balance themselves..." really she's grabbing helplessly for ideas, could the girl even walk? one wrong limp could send her over the edge it was a stupid idea but what else..."i might have to go down.." she mumbles, feeling an oddly bitter pang. it was the first time in a while that she envied the hollow detachedness of a past her, she'd never have risked her own life in such a manner for two others yet here she was- ready to do exactly that.

for now though, she waited.

she squeezes her eyes shut, blinking them open to find the bird missing and only the canyon stretching down before her. her hackles flare, and she feels horribly sick a moment but unwilling to shift a bone in her body. and then - a flicker of movement, there for only an instant, but she knows what it is. somehow, it strengthens her. 

she fills her lungs, and twists up to regard the two wolves above them - none of which are her mother, which is relieving and worrying. she hears the woman's question, and is quick to answer before the boy can. the adrenaline is doing its job, and the initial white-hot pain is dulled considerably. "it's - hanging. wrong." she says, resolve building. 

they've not fallen as far as she'd originally thought, and the fact boldens her slightly. "I'm ok. we can climb." she ascertains, though not at all certain of it, she's beyond eager to get up.

Sje was silent the whole time as she attempted to keep her composure even though everything in her was screaming to find a way to save them bit all settled when she heard Tundra speak and she began to search for a strong thick vine that the could use to climb out of the ravine. “If needed I can go down and grab the pup. She will be needing immediate medical attention. She may have a fracture. I don’t believe she should attempt to climb out herself, she may injure herself more.” She knew a bit about medicine at least enough to help her.

He studied the girl, frowning. Looking now, she really didn't look ok. His mind started formulating ways to get out, watching Bertók make a path.
"Go first, I'll catch you if you slip."
He looked to her, hoping she'd trust him.
From behind he could anticipate if she was going to fall and guide where her feet needed to be. He looked up to Tundra and his Mother, formulating their own plans.
"If you have to, you can blame it all on me." It wasn't all his fault. She was the one being rude. But if she was so scared that might mean that her mother will be angry. He knew Moonshadow only wanted him back safely.

He watched the girl, ready for her to throw his offer back in his face. If that would be the case she could fall for all he cared. He protected the woods and inhabitants; if they didn't want protection they could damn well look after themselves.